The Restaurant Association of Maryland, which held Maryland Foodie Fest in Aberdeen June 22, announced the winners of the Foodie Fest cooking competitions:
• Mike Fuggitti, executive chef at Fallston Barrel House, won the burger competition with his jalapeno-bacon-wrapped meatloaf burger. Fallston Barrel House serves craft beer, wine and food in Fallston, Maryland.
• Terence Tomlin won the seafood competition with his seared scallops with mango corn puree. Tomlin was the executive chef of Hawthorne tavern in Washington, D.C., and has experience opening a restaurant and cooking in other venues in the Washington, D.C., and New York areas.
Held for the first time this year, Maryland Foodie Fest was a family-friendly food festival with food pairings and samples from restaurants throughout Maryland, craft beer and wine, vendors and live music.
The festival’s cooking competitions are the only competitions in Maryland sanctioned by the World Food Championships. Open to both home and professional chefs, the competitions gave participants the chance to win prize money and a golden ticket to compete in the World Food Championships, the largest competition in food sport.
A portion of Foodie Fest’s proceeds benefit the Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation, which seeks to enhance the food service and hospitality industry’s training and education, career development and community engagement.
The Restaurant Association of Maryland and its foundation promote, protect and improve the food service and hospitality industry in Maryland. The association leads by showcasing member restaurants, offering programs that reduce operating costs and advocating for the interests of food service businesses. Members are food service and hospitality businesses, including restaurants, bars and taverns, grocery stores, caterers, hotels and other businesses that serve food. (www.marylandrestaurants.com)
